Cracks in the Pixel’s armour

Patrick O’Rourke

The longer I spend with Google’s Pixel, the more issues I’ve begun encountering with the phone’s design and software, though I haven’t experienced as many problems as my colleague Rose has with Google’s first flagship smartphone.

To start, I still agree with Google nixing the Nexus brand in an effort to create a true Google-manufactured Android flagship. The Nexus line served its purpose of growing the Android brand and resulted in the release of quality, affordable smartphones, elevating the overall output of other Android manufacturers in the same way Microsoft’s Surface devices pushed forward the PC industry into a new hybrid era.

Some are frustrated by the Pixel’s expensive price tag, but the mid-range build with high-end specs portion of the Android market is now rife with phones worth buying, with the the OnePlus 3T being the best example. If you aren’t looking to drop $900+ CAD on a phone, but still want your device to rock the latest Snapdragon processor and feature other marquee specs, there are a variety of options for you out there. Google wants to compete directly with Apple and to a lesser extent, LG and Samsung — this is why the Mountain View, California company released a high-end phone with a high-end price tag.

While I still stand by my belief that the Pixel is one of the best Android smartphones on the market, as with my experience with most phones I’ve reviewed, I’ve slowly begun to encounter issues with the device that didn’t occur while testing the phone for my initial review. In part this is because reviews need to be put together on a restrictive timeline. In the case of the Pixel, I only spent a few days with the phone before writing my thoughts about the device, in order to hit Google’s global review embargo.

I’m still fond of the Pixel’s look, though I know I’m in the minority when it comes to that opinion. What I didn’t realize, however, is how easy it is to scuff and scratch the smartphone’s soft aluminum casing. While the Pixel I’ve been using only has a few scratches, likely because I’ve kept the phone in a Spigen case since getting my hands on it, Rose’s Pixel is covered in dents and scrapes. I likely take better care of my mobile devices than the average person, but I also don’t think Rose is very rough with her devices either. For a $900+ dollar smartphone, I expected the Pixel to hold up better to minimal wear and tear, particularly the offset ridge that runs around the phone’s screen (this seems to lose its finish easily).

Software wise, I still contend that the Google Pixel’s performance and unique Android skin are its biggest selling points. Just like I stated in my original review, I feel the easy to access app tray and overall design of the Pixel’s icons and the inclusion of Google Assistant, give Android a much-needed dose of refinement. I have, however, run into issues I didn’t experience before writing my initial review. For example, in more than one case Twitter and Facebook both crashed and wouldn’t open, even after restarting the phone. In order to get these apps to properly launch again, I needed to select ‘Force Quit’ within Android’s settings to get the apps to open again. This isn’t a problem I’ve ever encountered with a smartphone before and led to a frustrating few hours of troubleshooting.

I’ve also experienced the dreaded ‘Android Lag,’ an issue I hoped and assumed wouldn’t be part of Google’s Pixel experience. Android lag, or rather, using a Nexus device, or any Android smartphone, for a few months before having it seemingly slow down to a crawl for no apparent reason, is a huge problem on Nexus devices, particularly the Nexus 5X and 6P. While I initially hoped Pixel would be devoid of this issue because its software and hardware was developed by Google simultaneously and with optimization in mind, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

All in, however, the Pixel is a great smartphone. It takes some of the best photos I’ve ever seen an Android device shoot, is generally snappy (despite the occasional bout of Android lag) and features an incredibly refined user interface.

The Google Pixel isn’t perfect, but it’s good

Rose Behar

The Google Pixel is flawed.

Its design is drab at best, it isn’t waterproof despite having a waterproof price point and multiple software issues have caused members of its community major inconvenience — yet despite all of that, it is one of the best smartphones experiences currently on the market.

This speaks to power of a well-tested, simple operating system — in this case true stock Android with some exclusive modifiers including Google Assistant and the delightful Pixel launcher — and a beautifully interconnected cloud ecosystem. With the Pixel, Google and its silent partner HTC have achieved what Apple is known for and what Samsung will likely never achieve. A full-fledged mobile experience that draws in users based on software, rather than hardware.

To begin with, there’s the UI itself. The Pixel launcher is one of my favourite aspects of the device. It offers space for five go-to apps and a simple swipe up pulls up the app drawer. Google Now’s main screen is a quick swipe to the right, complete with Google Assistant, which, though not overwhelmingly useful, is certainly the best of the current voice assistant crop in terms of functionality and natural language processing. Long pressing on most apps also provides a handy pop-up menu of shortcuts.

Gestures also enhance the user experience. Swiping down on the fingerprint sensor pulls down the notification shade, a simple user-friendly touch that makes one-handed operation easier.

Then there are the helpful Google integrations, like unlimited free high-resolution image storage through Google Photos for Pixel users. The Pixel also comes pre-loaded with Google’s ‘Messenger’ app (no relation to Facebook’s) which paves the way for the budding RCS protocol. RCS brings many of iMessage’s best features (think high-res photo sharing and typing indicators) to Android messaging and will very likely replace SMS messages. Rogers and Fido have already adopted the protocol and Bell and Telus are likely not far behind.

Messenger isn’t unique to the Google Pixel, of course. It comes on any stock android device and can also be downloaded. It is, however, a crucial element of its overall ecosystem, soon to add a feature that is often pointed to by iOS users as a sticking point that would stop them from leaving to Android.

To top it all off, the Pixel also manages to have one of the best cameras around, capable of taking gorgeous pictures. Not my pictures, perhaps, since I still often make the rookie mistake of getting pictures that end at people’s necks, but I’ve seen some fantastic captures occur around me, including clear low-light or waning light shots and crisp, differentiated bokeh effects on close-ups.

But as delightful as all that is, it’s not all fun and games with the Pixel. I was one of the users affected by chronic LTE Band 4 connectivity issues that occurred not long after the device was launched in November. It took Google less than a month to roll out an update that solved the issue, but between November 9th and November 22nd, my network connection went out several times a day, often necessitating a reboot. Not only was this frustrating, it was dangerous.

My partner’s Google Pixel XL had a similarly unsettling issue that caused the battery to drain suddenly and unexpectedly — once leaving him stranded with no phone in a foreign country in the middle of the night. I too experienced those sudden battery drains, though not in such a precarious situation, and that issue, to my knowledge, has now been resolved.

While these experiences might come hand in hand with a phone developed quickly by a company that thrives on the quick iteration of software updates (not all of which are completely stable) these experiences did mar my overall experience of the device.

Further, it has a slight issue with heat management, often peaking between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius while charging. This will eventually degrade the device’s decent battery life, and its lack of heat management also contributes to frequent crashes of the processing-intensive Daydream VR app.

But even with its not inconsequential flaws, Google Pixel still manages to stand out from the rest of the Android pack with a comprehensive, integrated and intuitive software package. It’s an excellent first Google-branded phone and paves the way for what has the potential to be a truly fantastic second-generation that device that should have Apple very, very worried.

Do you have the Pixel or Pixel XL? Let us know your thoughts on the device in the comments below.

“stranded with no phone in a FOREIGN country”… that must have been TERRIFYING!

AJKahn

Don’t forget that it was the middle of the night as well. Scaaaaaaary!!!

Brett Arnold Allard

What would have happened to the people of the world 15+ years ago when cellphones weren’t exactly in everyone’s hands?

Brad Fortin

They probably would have had a map, but maps don’t die like phones do.

KineticAirbag

The other part that made me laugh was where they said that they lost signal and that could have been “dangerous”. Really? In the 90’s I didn’t have a cell phone, does that mean I was living dangerously? Absolutely not.

mola2alex

Wonder if the initial batches had issues because I got mine in December and have none of this. No case and no scratches to date. Also, I have had every Nexus device and the only one that gave me issues over time performance wise was the Nexus 7 2nd gen which is terrible right now. Never had my 1, S, Gnex, 4,5,6, or 6P slow down in this manner.

Brett Arnold Allard

Same here! But I was part of the first wave of Pixel owners.

monkeymo

Got mine one week after launch, went through 2 Pixels that had the dreaded LTE connectivity issues, heck the wifi chip on the second one I got was extremely spotty.

Brett Arnold Allard

It seems like you either received one that was susceptible to the issues or one that came out flawless. Judging from many consumers complaints it seems roughly 20 percent of first wave pixel owners experienced some kind of issue upon use.

monkeymo

You do know that 20% is AN ABUSRD FAILURE RATE. The standard expected RMA rate (warranty allowance) is usually set at around 1-3% of total stock. To have 20% of your first few batches defective is insanely high because that’s where you have your most amount of sales. That’s terrible quality control by Google then……

Brett Arnold Allard

No where near on scale with Samsungs previous ‘flagship’ which resulted in 100% failure rate.

Keep in mind Google probably sold more pixel devices over the last 3 months Vs its 1st month launch. We know the LTE and Bluetooth issues only affected some of the first wave of devices while previous updates rectified ‘most’ issues users have been experiencing with the device.

monkeymo

Just because one company failed in a blaze of glory doesn’t mean this failure isn’t any as bad. From a financial point of view this terrible, you clearly don’t understand how this effects the bottom line. Having a warranty expense that is 20x larger for the first month is nothing to try and defend dude.

Brett Arnold Allard

It was a rough ‘Guestimation’ on my part, and a very loose one at that.

Numbers and figures show we know the pixel has done very well financially (Perhaps not on a iPhone or Samsung level) but still note worthy none the less.

Alot of manufacturers have experienced rough first wave device launches (See iPhone 6) still never stopped them from heavy sales.

monkeymo

Again your making stuff up, its been well documented that sales for the Pixel are very low actually compared to Apple, Samsung and even Hauwei…..

Brett Arnold Allard

Do some homework clearly your reading in between the lines.

monkeymo

I have and clearly you just an uniformed fanboi, the sales are bad considering the massive subsidies offered by both American and Canadian Telecoms, the massive international marketing push and being branded as a Google made Phone.

Is this the next Surface or is this another nexus, its looking like the ladder

Brett Arnold Allard

Well we know sales have trounced LG and the flop of a device the G5 gave us. Comparing sales to Samsung and Apple is almost irrelevant considering they account for almost the greater majority of all cellphone sales. (Huawei being 3rd in line since the last year has given them a much deserved leap in the smartphone industry)

I use and acquire multiple devices over the year. While generally I enjoy what each one brings to the table I pay no attention to favoritism as no device is without its Cons.

monkeymo

Hooray you got something right, the LG did sell less than the Pixel but everything else you said has been off.

Brett Arnold Allard

Actually if you would have looked at my other comment you would realize I was correct about that statement as well.. Enjoy being a fool!

thereasoner

Agreed. The failure rate of touch disease affected screens for the iPhone 6 was quite high as well. Same for the 6s and its battery recall

Brad Fortin

“I have had every Nexus device and the only one that gave me issues over time performance wise was the Nexus 7 2nd gen which is terrible right now. Never had my 1, S, Gnex, 4,5,6, or 6P slow down in this manner.”

Your mileage may vary. You only experienced it with the 2nd gen Nexus 7 but not with any Nexus phones, while I never experienced it with a 1st gen Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 but did experience it with a Nexus 5 and 5X. Hard to tell if it’s a software issue, hardware issue, or some combination of both.

mola2alex

And not limited to Android, I have had Windows desktops and iPads slow to a crawl over time. I imagine more on the software side since factory resets usually help.

Can’t Fix Stupid

I heard of a lot of slowdowns on the 1st gen Nexus 7 that couldn’t be remedied with a reset. Something to do with bad memory.

JD

For those looking for the tl:drThe short answer to the title is: No It doesn’t

Thanks for discounting the hours of work we put into planning, writing and shooting this article, with a comment that took you 5 seconds to write. Solid work.

JD

Those hours might be better spent editing some of the your (specifically) poorly articles instead of as mentioned rehashing the previous review without adding anything new.I actually did enjoy reading Rose’s section about the long term issues not just calling it “Android Lag”

Since this is becoming a running theme with your comments, let me break this one down for you like I’ve done in the past:

1. My ‘second take’ on the Pixel is similar to my original review because my experience with the device hasn’t changed significantly. To make up issues I haven’t experienced would be a disservice to our readers.

2. Rose is great journalist and our most technically minded writer. I’m glad you enjoyed her part of the story where she discusses what ‘Android Lag’ actually is. We didn’t feel a double explanation was necessary.

Brett Arnold Allard

“Rose’s Pixel is covered in dents and scrapes. I likely take better care of my mobile devices than the average person, but I also don’t think Rose is very rough with her devices either.”

So clearly she is rough with it, or has had some sort of tumble or two which caused the dents and scrapes to happen. Devices just don’t deteriate on their own!

JD

Gremlins

Shogun

Pretty much. Kinda ridiculous to assume a phone is made to kick around like a lunatic and it won’t shows damage. Take care of stuff and it’ll take care of you.

Brett Arnold Allard

Too many facepalm moments for the both of them during this article.

Brad Fortin

“Devices just don’t deteriorate on their own!”

Devices also don’t bend on their own, but people have no qualms blaming Apple for bent iPhones, so why not blame Google for the dents and scrapes on a Pixel?

Brett Arnold Allard

It’s outrageous one way or another!

jclowater

That is true but mostly Apple is given a pass for its out of the gate issues. Not called “fatally flawed”

It’s Me

That’s actually the exact opposite of reality. Bend-gate, antenna-gate, headphone jack-gate, purple-haze-gate, dongle-gate, scratching jetblack-gate. People literally make up issues and they become front page news for weeks.

When did they ever get a pass?

Brad Fortin

What’s this year’s “-gate” again? “Hiss-gate” because the electronics have coil whine? “Scuff-gate” because the aluminum scuffs? “Jack-gate” because nobody cares about the headphone jack removal?

Definitely. What I’m saying is that other devices are able to stand up to more wear and tear when compared to the Pixel. Also, like I state in the story, I don’t think Rose is rougher with her devices than the “average” Pixel owner. Believe it or not, most people don’t put their phones in cases.

Eluder

Mine still looks flawless, but it’s in a Spigen clear case since day one. Plus I’m not a gorilla with my phones, so they are well taken care of. No lag on my end with my Pixel, at least nothing to write about, and nothing more than my iPhone 7 Plus which also has occasional lag here and there.

Shogun

This review is really just a rehash of previous material written here about the Pixel and really fails to take into account the improvements made here since the initial batch was released which clearly Patrick and Rose were dealing with.Sure the device could’ve been waterproof but unless you’re a real clutz with your devices who cares. Also the build quality is not much different from other aluminum devices out there given how that’s a cheap metal to begin with.No doubt Pixel 2 will be an improvement over the firstly iteration but I think of more dubious over priced junk on the market than this device.

Smanny

Anyone spending a lot of money for a smartphone, and then doesn’t put even a cheap case around that smartphone, then they deserve to have scrapes, dents, and scuff marks. Like the pictures shown above.

I have yet to see any major slow down. Plus I use split screen all the time. So I am usually running two tasks simultaneously on my display. I shouldn’t be surprised at Patrick with saying it’s slow at times. Especially since he is an iPhone user. Given the fact that it took him hours of troubleshooting to find out about force halting a task on Android.

monkeymo

My pixel constantly lagged up or force closed apps when running android or any type of background music app. The phone was snappy but it also had a lot of moments where stuff lagged up.

thereasoner

I’m the same. My Pixel runs fantastic still, never had “lag” either but I have seen improvement in Bluetooth performance. My truck no longer spontaneously switches to the Pixel now.

It definitely didn’t take me hours given I’m familiar with Android as an operating system (I split my time between iOS and Android pretty evenly). Still, I’ve never encountered this problem with an Android device before, especially after a hard refresh. This is why I felt it was important to mention.

Brad Fortin

“and really fails to take into account the improvements made here since the initial batch was released which clearly Patrick and Rose were dealing with.”

So what about all the other people who were early adopters and got some of that initial batch? They won’t see any improvements unless their device is replaced under warranty, but unless Google deems the first batch as defective those devices won’t be replaced and those early adopters will be stuck with inferior devices.

When other high-end smartphones on the market are waterproof, I expect the same from Google’s smartphone as well.

Not for you

“fails to take into account the improvements made here since the initial batch was released”

What improvements? A link will suffice. I had considered getting a Pixel, but like all phones, was cautious of picking up one early in its life-cycle.

jclowater

All of the software fixes.

Not for you

Which are accounted for as this is about what it’s been like to use for the last four months.

jclowater

Huh? Accounted for? The original point was just that. There have been improvements / fixes.

Not for you

Is it that difficult to read the article? The one where they mention the problems – and the fixes? The ones that were rolled out during the four month span this article covers?

I’m asking for evidence of hardware improvements, and would be happy to read about any.

Harley Davis

My first Pixel XL was great for months until the microphone died. Luckly, I have a replacement plan. The second one has been great for the first month.

heynow00

If the microphone died in 3 months, shouldn’t the warranty cover that? Why would you need a replacement plan?

Duder12

Its funny when people do this. I saw another guy say the same thing about his 5x the other day that had coverage on it. I think they are so quick to justify their insurance costs that they dont think things through first.

monkeymo

Phone was super overhyped because of the unadulterated Android it had. Lack of waterproof or resistance, no dual speakers, no sd slot, LTE issues; GLASS ON THE BACK (Iphone 4 all over again). Sold mine last month happy to be using a 6p for 1/4th the cost .

Brett Arnold Allard

Correction IP53.. Numerous water tests also show the pixel to withstand over a half an hour submerged with zero issues.

As for glass back phones.. Most flagships are currently all going through this stage or have at least for one generation bar LG. Heck even my moto Z has glass on the top and bottom.

monkeymo

Um only the Galaxy’s have a glass backing; Sony uses glass on the back but they have a track record since they launched the Xperia line to do so with this aesthetic decision. HTC, LG, Apple, Huawei, and every other Chinese manufacture don’t have glass backings.

And your water claim is irrelevant because if its not certified by the manufacture then its not intended to be under those conditions. Those cases then just prove its possible but its not advised nor repeatable and therefore your doing so at your own risk.

Cleary you like your Pixel, I’m not taking that away from you but to make claims that its the best Android phone is clearly wrong, but its a good phone with some glaring shortcomings.

Brett Arnold Allard

It’s rated IP53 one way or another and that’s printed all over the Internet .The Moto Z line, The Honor series, and previous Xperia lines are also all using glass panels. Like I said above almost all manufacturers have or are using glass panels for flagships in some shape or form. This is fact and not some made up garbage made by an Internet nobody!

Also not once did I claim it’s the ‘best’ Android device your just putting words in my mouth if you seriously think that.

RS

I’m most disappointed in the assistant. It seems to be getting worse, replying with a web search more often than not now. They marketed it as the first phone with a degree of ai but said updates would bring further ai development. Bs. To top it off, they still haven’t fixed the OK Google unlock issue.Anybody know if I can get a refund through the play store based solely on the fact that I’m unsatisfied?

gommer strike

yeah, Assistant can be little spotty here and there. Also it’s interesting that it can depend where you are conducting the voice search too – surprisingly if you do the search using just the standard Google “bar”, sometimes you will see different results than what the Assistant spits back.

It’s a little inconsistent for sure and not totally ready as something that is 100% reliable.

Rimtu Kahn

Pixel definitely lived up to the hype, it cost as much as iPhone while offering less features. Google revolutionized the wireless industry by offering Pixel, the first Android phone to have less features than its contemporary iPhone. Great job Google.

Victor Creed

Did you upvote your own comment?

Zee

Never had the sudden battery drain nor the “Android lag” that the first reviewer mentions. Did have an issue with bluetooth music stuttering from time to time, but since getting a replacement pixel xl, that seems to be fine now too. I’ve been using the Pixel since Oct 20th so it’s been solid for months for me.

mike m

i dumped my Pixel XL after 3 months for Xioami Mi Mix..

Ipse

Boy, do I feel vindicated after getting flak here for stating that at similar price point the Galaxy S7Edge is a better phone. Only disappointment is the slow adoption of Nougat -which I personally don’t miss much, having Nova as a launcher and Greenify to take care of the battery.

Can’t Fix Stupid

I wonder how long Google stays on the Pixel line?. They seem to lose interest in things very quickly.

Brett Arnold Allard

Thanks for the lesson. but all I was getting at was that IT IS considered ‘water resistant’.

gommer strike

The true test is if/when it’s water damaged – will the retailer honor the warranty? What does the store think? Will they make you jump through hoops to get a replacement?

Water resistant so that you can use the phone in the rain(but we’ve all already been doing that with phones back in 2010) vs water proof.

Brett Arnold Allard

Truth be told how many manufacturers actually do Honor warranty or replacements for water damage?

gommer strike

AppleCare covers water damage and as it was described to me by a Genius: “your phone could be shattered into 2 pieces. But as long as you bring those broken shards and pieces of the phone back, we’ll replace it”.

KineticAirbag

That’s only if you get Apple Care. If you get device protection on the Pixel that covers accidental damage they will cover it as well. We’re talking WARRANTY here.

KineticAirbag

I’ve had the Pixel XL since launch day and use it heavily. There is no such thing as Android lag on it.

Shaun39

Agree, had mine since a week after launch. I have many apps on it now, no Android Lag. I got linked this editorial piece but stopped reading half way through. Wasn’t a great read and seemed very biased

pipslvr

Count me in. Have had it since october, Have close to 200 apps on it, and it as fast as the first day.

Alex Styles

This is the first Android device I’ve owned that hasn’t slowed down on me after a few months of ownership, and I only have the 32GB model, bought at launch.

KineticAirbag

The exact same thing for an iPhone 7 which is water resistant (not waterproof) with sure a better rating than the Pixel, but if it gets water damaged, Apple will not honour the warranty.

jclowater

So a brand new phone with a brand new OS had a few software glitches out of the gate , which seem to be all solved by now. It seems to me the iPhone 7 had a few significant issues at first also. Why is it that Apple gets a pass for these things while Google does not.

Scratches? Check out the iPhone 7 jet black.

It seems to me that this article is largely about faults that have been remedied.

Rose says “the Google Pixel is flawed”. Maybe she meant it was flawed. It seems she loves most everything about it now other than the “drab design” ( a matter of personal opinion of course ), and the battery heating up when charging.

Patrick is concerned about a couple of apps crashing. A legitimate concern but hardly unique to the Pixel or Android.

ParanoidAirbag

Did Apple pay you to write fake negatives? The iPhone 7 jet and matte black chip and flake and I don’t see any article here criticizing them for that? Android lag on the Pixel is a joke. It’s by far the smoothest Android phone.

Mawhayden

You sound like a Trump Fan Boy, if you like the phone but mention anything wrong, you are an enemy of the people

Lion5

I agree with you. I can see the bias on these sites. My silver Pixel XL is in pristine condition since I purchased it. I have not encountered any lag or other issues so often mentioned on these so-called “tech” sites. This is the fastest, smoothest, and most stable phone I’ve ever used.